Owner’s Corner: What’s Up With Weightlifting?

Coach Devin’s Weightlifting Program kicked off on June 11th at the Fenton location with 9 participants. The structure of the class is very different than a typical CrossFit class—much more laid back and driven by the individual athlete. The focus is on making tiny changes that add up to big results. With the program being brand new and so different from the typical CrossFit class, Coach Mel sat down with Corey to find out more about why the program was developed and what it is all about. What follows is a summary of Coach Corey’s answers to Coach Mel’s questions.

Why are we moving from a once-a-week Barbell Club to a four-day-a-week Olympic Program?

The bottom line is that if you want to maximize your potential at the Olympic lifts, you have to have more specialized training than is offered with CrossFit alone. Crossfit has a focus on overall fitness and general physical preparedness. It is much broader than traditional Olympic Lifting training. This can be compared to half marathon or marathon training. Can a CrossFitter just do CrossFit and run a half marathon? Probably so. However, if that same CrossFitter wants to win a half marathon or run his or her best marathon ever, he or she will have to add in specialized running training.

Coach Devin has designed this program around the foundational Olympic lifts–Snatch and Clean and Jerk. Classes will consist of practicing the Olympic lifts with different loads and rep schemes, along with skills drills and auxiliary lifts. This programming is designed to build both strength and skill through consistent practice and different forms of loading the body.

What does the program look like?

The program is designed in 8-week cycles. The cycles will be geared toward prepping the lifters for an end of the year lifting competition. Each class will be focused around one of the lifts. There will be percentage load lifting, skill and technique drills, and auxiliary strength lifts. You should expect a very different stimulus than a typical CrossFit class. There will be much more recovery time between lifts in order to allow your body to prepare for the explosive energy expenditure needed for successful Olympic lifting.

Who is this program for?

This program is designed for anyone who wants to improve their Olympic weightlifting. If you have specific weightlifting goals you would like to meet, this program is probably for you. You do not have to attend every day. However, the workouts are all designed to fit together to help you improve on the Olympic lifts, and each day will feature different programming.

Coach Devin will be providing guidance, direction, and specific training on the clean and jerk and the snatch. If this is what you seek, this program is for you. If you enjoy being self-directed but also getting individual correction on the minute and technical details of a lift, this training is for you.

What does Coach Devin bring to the program?

Coach Devin is an expert in the Olympic field. He is both a nationally-competing athlete and an experienced lifting coach. Olympic Lifting is his specific area of expertise. He has trained under a Chinese Olympian for 6 years as an athlete and while learning to coach. He also brings an eye for correcting the complex and subtle flaws that might be keeping you from reaching your potential. He has the experience and knowledge to break down and improve incorrect movement patterns. Additionally, his experience provides him with the understanding of what programming is needed to help you make significant improvements in your Olympic lifting.

Why is the program not a part of a regular membership?

The Weightlifting Program is different than classes like mobility and FRC, which are stand-alone classes offered only once a week. The Weightlifting program truly is a separate program designed to go deep into Olympic Weightlifting and prepare an athlete to compete in an Olympic Lifting Competiton, if they so desire. Additionally, the program is designed and delivered by an expert in Olympic Weightlifting who bring years of experience in this specific area.

Many CrossFit gyms provide Olympic Weightlifting programs as an additional offering. Working with an experienced Olympic lifting coach could cost around $150 to $300 dollars a month at some gyms. Working with an Olympics-trained coach can sometimes run upwards of $120 dollars for $90 minutes.

Our program is going to cost extra, but it works out to be much less than options at other places. For an unlimited member, the cost will be $25 dollars per month. If you consider that there will be 16 classes offered per month, that works out to $1.56 per class. Even if you are only able to attend two classes a week, you are looking at $3.12 per class. If you are on a limited membership, the cost will be $50 dollars a month, which works out to $3.12 a class if you attend all 16 in a month or $6.25 per class if you attend 8 classes in a month.

No matter how you slice it, we are offering a foundational Olympic Lifting program based on years of knowledge and expertise at a relatively low cost. We are so excited to bring another element to your fitness experience, and we hope you’ll try the class out for yourself. Remember, it’s free for the rest of June!